Why It’s So Scary to Follow Your Dreams

Why It’s So Scary to Follow Your Dreams

By Jackelyn Ho

You stand there, watching from outside. Your vision is blurry, most likely from the unclear road ahead. What once seemed to make so much sense is now a dustbowl of questions and doubt.

But the thing is, there isn’t that much question. You know exactly what you want to do. When you were younger, someone once asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. You answered the question so confidently, so proudly. You knew exactly what you would be wearing, who would be surrounding you, and the pride that would be bursting in your heart.

Somewhere along the way, you forgot. You made sacrifices. You made negotiations. You said it would be okay to diverge for a little bit. You’ll be back on the main road again, you promised. But here you are. So far off the main road that you aren’t really sure where it leads anymore. Perhaps the diverging road has turned into your main road and the dreams you once had are now tiny mountains in your rearview mirror. Now, you see different mountains ahead. Instead of the lush green grass or iconic peak, it’s actually just a small hill that is easily obtainable and undoubtedly undesirable.

Why is it so scary to go for what we want? We settle for less because it’s too heartbreaking to go for what we want and get rejected. No one got what they wanted on the first try. There were failures, there were hardships, there were things standing in the way that blatantly said no. If we want our dreams hard enough, we will push those aside and power through. That’s when good things happen. That’s when the magic appears.

Make a promise to yourself to get back onto the main road soon. It’s never too late, but if we push things off until a neverending tomorrow, it will be. You are deserving of your dreams and what you truly want. Don’t dilly-dally around a lesser version of the dream, either. Go all out. Go all the way. Ask yourself, why not? Seriously, why in the world not? Everything else around you will survive. Will you?

Photo by Chris Nguyen